Science Policy

Drs. John Chatham, Sue Barman, Joey Granger, and Peter Wagner in front of Building 1 at the NIH.APS advocates for sustainable growth of the National Science Foundation budget. (Image from NSF)Past ACE Committee Chair Bill Yates (right) shares a laugh with Rep. Mike Doyle (D-PA, left).APS Director Marty Frank (right) with Rep. Howard Berman (2nd from left)APS Science Policy Committee in front of the Senate Hart Office Building during a trip to Capitol Hill.APS offers information on current issues surrounding animal research and why it is important.Science Policy Director Alice Ra’anan accepts Distinguished Service Award from Faith Wolfe of States United for Biomedical ResearchAPS members Kevin Kregel (left) and Bill Talman (right) meeting with Senator Grassley (R-IA)Past APS President Hannah Carey testifies on NIH funding before the House Labor-HHS Appropriations Subcommittee.

The Science Policy Office covers issues that affect scientists and their work such as federal research funding and animal research. Check out our pages for background information, action alerts, and insights into becoming an advocate for biomedical research.

The mid-term elections held on November 6, 2018 will bring change to Washington, D.C., though as of this writing, it is unclear exactly how much. Democrats will take the majority in the House of Representatives, while Republicans are expected to maintain a slim majority in the Senate.

Representatives of NIH, USDA, and FDA held a listening session on January 9, 2018 as part of an effort to review of animal welfare oversight regulations in response to a Congressional mandate to reduce administrative burden while maintaining the integrity and credibility of research.

On August 31, 2017, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) released new policy guidance supporting the Next Generation Researchers Initiative. The goals of the initiative are to help investigators establish and maintain independent research programs at an earlier age; stabilize the biomedical research workforce; and enhance diversity.

The new NIH Next Generation Researchers Initiative is aimed at increasing grant support for early-stage and vulnerable mid-career investigators. It replaces an earlier plan to limit the number of grants per investigator and was first presented at a meeting of the NIH Advisory Committee to the Director.

On January 12, 2017, the Max Planck Society (MPS) in Germany published a white paper on the use of animals in basic research. MPS is a non-profit research organization made up of 83 Max Planck Institutes and facilities.

In response to an NIGMS RFI on Modernizing Biomedical Graduate Education, the APS Science Policy and Education Committees jointly developed a response that emphasized the need for students to develop a range of core skills that will serve students well in their future careers.

The House Appropriations Committee on L-HHS-Education approved an FY 2018 spending bill that provided NIH with a $1.1 billion increase over its FY 2017 funding level. Although this would amount to only about half of the increases Congress has given NIH in each of the past 2 years, it is $8.6 billion above the Trump budget request.

On May 23, 2017, the Trump administration released its FY 2018 budget proposal calling for large cuts to research at the NIH, NSF, NASA and the VA. The APS calls on members of Congress to reject these huge and damaging cuts to research.

The APS supports the humane use of animals in medical research. Medical research is beneficial to humans as well as other animals, and certain kinds of questions can only be answered through animal studies.

On August 23, NIH Director Collins issued a statement in response to concerns about “risks to the security of intellectual property and the integrity of peer review.” Collins reminded investigators of their responsibilities to disclose all funding sources; protect the confidentiality of the intellectual property in grant applications; and not to divert the findings of U.S.-funded research to other countries. He also announced the establishment of a new working group to address these issues.

On August 31, 2017, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) released new policy guidance supporting the Next Generation Researchers Initiative. The goals of the initiative are to help investigators establish and maintain independent research programs at an earlier age; stabilize the biomedical research workforce; and enhance diversity.

The new NIH Next Generation Researchers Initiative (NGRI) is aimed at increasing grant support for early-stage (ESI) and vulnerable mid-career investigators. It replaces an earlier plan to limit the number of grants per investigator and was first presented at a meeting of the NIH Advisory Committee to the Director.